Fire hoses are coupled together with fire hose couplings. These couplings are well known in the art. Typically, one side of a coupling has an expansion ring to attach the coupling to its respective hose. On the other side of the coupling are usually a set of internal or external threads for fastening the coupling to complementary (external or internal) threads of another coupling. In addition to these male and female couplings, there also exist so-called “sexless couplings” or Storz coupling (see U.S. Pat. No. 0,489,107). Usually, a fire truck is provided with a male connector to which a female coupling is fastened. A fire hose assembly is then concatenated by coupling together sequential male and female couplings.
Firefighters operating in dark and smoke-filled environments are prone to becoming disoriented. In conditions of poor visibility, it is extremely helpful to have some means for the firefighter to determine which way leads to the exit, i.e. which hose direction leads back toward the fire truck. Firefighters may be taught to seek out, for example, the female coupling of the connection as an indicator that this side of the connection leads back to the fire truck. However, this method is not satisfactory because a firefighter, in the heat of the moment, may not remember which coupling points back to the fire truck or he may not be able to properly see or feel the couplings. Furthermore, the fire hoses may not have been assembled in the expected (conventional) way, and thus reliance on the assumption that, for example, the female coupling, leads back to the fire truck, may in fact lead the firefighter to head the wrong direction. As will be appreciated, these issues are a matter of life and death to firefighters. Improvements on conventional techniques are thus extremely important.
To address the aforementioned problems, a number of different bands, clamps, and collars have been developed for sliding over fire hoses to indicate the direction to safety. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,135 (Ruiz) discloses a flexible identification collar for hoses. U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,000 and U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 382,501; 345,520; 345,519 and 312,390 (all to Clement) disclose direction-indicating bands for attaching to firefighting hoses. These slide-on devices are inherently problematic because they represent an additional component to be assembled to the hose, thus slowing down the assembly of the fire hose when time is of the essence. Furthermore, these external bands, clamps, etc. may catch or snag on objects (e.g. ledges, nails, splintered wood, etc.) as the hose is dragged through the burning building. Moreover, they may slide down the hose, out of reach and out of sight.
In a similar vein is a fire hose directional indicator disclosed by Tamez, Jr. et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,761. This gasket-like annular body fits over the male threads of the male coupler and is captured between the threads of the abutting male and female couplers. The disadvantage of this device is that it represents a further component that has to be assembled. The coupling only has tactile indicator extensions that require a firefighter to feel the direction to safety. If the device is out of the firefighter's reach, it may be of limited utility, particularly in conditions of poor visibility.
Also known in the art are various fire hose couplings with directional indicators. These offer the advantages of not requiring assembly of additional components and not being prone to slide up and down the hose out of reach and out of sight.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,890 (Lenske) which discloses a fire hose coupling with directional finger-like extensions. An embossed word (“EXIT”) is provided on the extensions. This provides both visual and tactile indication to the firefighter of the direction of the exit. The Lenske coupling requires that the firefighter either feel the direction of the finger-like extensions or be able to see the finger-like extension with the embossed word “EXIT”. If the firefighter is not within reach of the coupling or if the firefighter cannot see the coupling due to poor smoke, darkness or other vision-impairing reasons, the device cannot inform the firefighter of the direction to safety. One disadvantage of having an embossed word exposed on the outer surface of the extensions is that the embossed word is prone to abrasion and wear. Over time, the embossed word may become so worn as to be illegible. Furthermore, the extensions may not only cause the hose to hang up (snag or catch) when dragged but also trap or collect hot debris under the extensions causing spot burn throughs. A further problem with these extensions is that, when the hose is slack, i.e. not filled with water, the extensions may puncture or damage the hose when folded or rolled tightly for storage.
Accordingly, a need remains for an improved fire hose coupling that addresses one or more of the deficiencies of the aforementioned prior art.